Spring flooding is putting First Nations in northern Ontario at risk and reigniting calls for relocation.
Kashechewan First Nation and Fort Albany First Nation — located on the shores of James Bay — both declared states of emergency last week and have been evacuating community members.
People are forced to face this trauma each spring despite the Canadian government’s repeated promises to move the community to higher ground safe from flooding, Kashechewan Chief Hosea Wesley said in a May 2 press release.
“It is unacceptable that the lives of our people continue to be put at risk every spring,” Chief Wesley’s statement read.
“We have enough studies, we have enough promises, now is the time for action.”
Kashechewan First Nation has been evacuated due to flooding or flood risk more than 14 times since 2004, according to a 2021 article in the International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction.
The authors explain that although flooding occurs each spring in this region and hasn’t increased significantly over time, “the timing and extent of flooding have changed in recent years with warming temperatures in the region due to climate change.”
The study points to “an inadvertent bias in the disaster relief services” and risk reduction programs offered by different levels of governments, like the flood damage reduction program. In particular, “substandard” community infrastructure in Kashechewan increases the flooding risk, including its inadequate underground sewerage system, “obsolete” water treatment plant and dyke made of sand and gravel with “serious deficiencies.”
Kashechewan First Nation has been pushing for relocation for two decades. In 2005, the federal government under Paul Martin made a commitment to relocation but it was scrapped when Stephen Harper became prime minister.
In 2017 and 2019, Kashechewan First Nation reached agreements with the federal and provincial governments to relocate upstream on the Albany River, but progress has been slow.
“We need a strategy that will ensure the safety of all these communities and protect them from the threats of floods, we need the government of Canada to consider relocating these communities to higher ground,” Mushkegowuk Council Grand Chief Leo Friday said in the press release. He also called on Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford to visit these northern communities and see for themselves why “immediate solutions” are needed.
Kashechewan and Fort Albany community members’ first settlement was established in the late-1800s to trade with the Hudson’s Bay Company post. The settlement was called the “Old Post” — and by the 1950s, families had to relocate due to flooding each spring.
